Datura (thorn apple) poisoning characteristically produces all of the following EXCEPT:

• A Dry flushed skin with anhidrosis
• B Mydriasis and cycloplegia
• C Miosis and excessive lacrimation ✓
• D Urinary retention and ileus

Explanation

Datura contains tropane alkaloids — primarily scopolamine, hyoscyamine, and atropine — which are potent muscarinic antagonists. The classic anticholinergic toxidrome is 'dry as a bone, red as a beet, blind as a bat, hot as Hades, mad as a hatter': dry flushed skin, dilated pupils (mydriasis) with paralysis of accommodation (cycloplegia), urinary retention, decreased bowel sounds, tachycardia, and central delirium. Miosis and excessive lacrimation are cholinergic (muscarinic agonist) features, the opposite of Datura poisoning. Physostigmine is the specific antidote.

Reference: The Essentials of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology (Narayan Reddy), 34th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.